SHK CH 561 (Patreon)

As many might have expected —Lupus Ira was not laughing.

He had been receiving a series of bad news one after another and he could see the flow of the battlefield.

The new machines introduced by Lustburg were literal machines of death and destruction and the only reason casualties were not higher was because those so-called Rangers would always give an ultimatum before attacking and would respect their words.

At first, only a few people took the offer but as the war advanced, more and more soldiers were starting to follow the trend.

The reports he received showed that the different cities that were attacked would simply surrender and Lustburg would also treat them well.

Setsuna even appeared on many fronts to show herself and appease the people while the Holy Daughter of Luxuria would take care of any wounded no matter how deep their wounds were.

The tigers clan that had remained in Wratharis capital had mysteriously vanished and now the Tiger Lord was one of the staunchest and loudest supporters of his niece, giving even more weight to her words and title.

They were giving up.

Everyone was giving up.

Sitting on his throne, Lupus quietly observed the opulence of this room. His face was calm, his eyes calculating.

He had already been screaming and shouting too much the last few days and for the first time in his life, wrath did not cloud his mind.

Nearly no servants were left in the Castle as many had fled as well and even his most loyal servants were looking at him with complicated expressions.

Lupus did not stop them. Killing more servants now would only increase the riots.

Lustburg hadn't even reached the gate of Wratharis but already his kingdom seemed ready to implode. All it needed was just a little more push.

But he could see that someone was manipulating things from the inside.

A traitor. Someone high-ranked. He even had an inkling of who it could be.

Lupus sighed. The situation around him was clear.

The soldiers were deserting.

The servants were fleeing.

The citizens were rioting.

He…was losing or maybe he already lost.

How many more plans did Lustburg have?

Did they activate all the rangers they had at their disposal?

How long could he still hold on?

All those questions swam into the depths of Lupus’s mind, but no answer came.

Retracing everything from the beginning, he realized that all of this started on that night.

The Saint Fall. The moment when his pride and arrogance rose to the maximum as he thought he had a chance to take down the legendary Lustburg.

Back then, he still had a chance to stop. The worst had yet to come.

His mistake was in insisting on continuing the war even after realizing that the Supreme Daughter of Luxuria had never lost her power and this was nothing more than a ploy.

“Heh…” Lupus laughed quietly, realizing once again that he had been played from the start and he had nothing but himself to blame for this situation.

“I will not give up,” Lupus spoke quietly as he stood up from his throne. Walking in the silent and uselessly large throne room For the first time, Lupus realized one fact.

He was all alone.

Because of his fear of giving birth to a new Blessed he never had children.

Because of his murderous rage, he had no close friends or advisors.

He killed the only family he had with his hand.

“Do you regret it?”

Lupus stopped and looked behind him, only to see a man wearing a monocle.

Instantly the world seemed to buzz for an instant as if reality was being affected and Lupus wobbled slightly while memories rushed into his mind.

“You…”

He looked at the intruder with surprise and anger while light started manifesting in his hand.

“I would not do that if I was you. Your divine weapon is certainly powerful but would it not be a shame to use it against me now? After all that sacrifice?”

Lupus gritted his teeth, knowing fully well that the man was right.

Divine weapons were not things that could be used so easily. Unless the person holding them was a demigod, the price he had to pay for each use was tremendous.

“Are you here to mock me again?”

Eins smiled quietly as he adjusted his monocle. “Perish the thought. Why would I mock you when Fate itself is already doing so? Kicking a man while he is down is in no way entertaining.”

His words may have been polite but the twinkle in his eyes made his thoughts evident.

Clearly, in the mind of this man, Lupus was nothing more than a Joke.

The worst? He could not even truly deny this.

“Why me?”

“Oh? This is the first time you asked something rather than flying in rage. I guess facing defeat woke you up.”

The man chuckled, “So why you? Well…Should I say because you are the best for my plans?”

The man seemed to vanish for an instant from Lupus's sight before appearing behind him.

This was not a feat of speed. This was not teleportation either. For all intent and purpose, it seemed like Lupus had lost sight of him while the man simply walked towards him.

“I could kill you very easily and take your divine weapon now. But it would be counterproductive. The WoF started lacking in numbers and I am thinking of replenishing the force.”

Lupus looked up but Eins simply wagged his finger, “No need to worry. They cannot see me nor hear me for that matter. Truly amusing don't you think? Those so-called goddesses.”

What was happening was going against everything Lupus knew.

Not even demigods could so easily hide from the sight of the goddesses unless they were in their territories.

How could this man do it so effortlessly?

“I can hear the gears in your brain turning, moving, working as they try to uselessly understand who or what I am. But you know? I can easily answer you. After all, with just a snap of my hand, you will forget everything.”

For the first time in his life, Lupus felt true fear and he asked, gulping, “Who are you?”

“I am a god.”

He uttered those words with perfect nonchalance and ignoring Lupus' shocked expression, taped his forehead with a finger, “It's time to make a choice little King.”

“Will you stay under the goddess who gave a blessing to your niece? Or will you follow me to fight your Fate? You have until the day Lustburg reaches the door to answer me.”

On those words, the man vanished again, leaving Lupus alone.

He was now at a crossroads and it was time for him to decide.